


Who Do You Love

by isthisenoughorcanwegohigher



Category: Manifest (TV)
Genre: Multi, because god knows the show probably never will, someone has to make mick/jared/lourdes a thing, which means I Will
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-11-07 04:06:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17953283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isthisenoughorcanwegohigher/pseuds/isthisenoughorcanwegohigher
Summary: Lourdes knows about Jared's affair with Mick. The only question is, how will this end? Jared has a big choice ahead of him.





	Who Do You Love

**Author's Note:**

> _You've been actin' so conspicuous_   
>  _You flip it on me, say I think too much_   
>  _You're movin' different when we makin' love_

“I know something’s wrong.”

Jared stopped short on his way out of the bedroom, feeling his blood turn to ice. He wondered if Lourdes could hear the way his heart began to race, and if he turned to face her, if she would be able to see the rhythm it was tattooing against his ribcage.

“Nothing’s wrong,” he said, hope she couldn’t hear the way the ice in his veins was beginning to choke off his words. “There’s just a lot going on at work. Big case, overtime, the usual.”

“The usual.” Lourdes’s tone was clipped, and Jared could tell by the way she spoke that she’d gotten out of bed and was standing, looking at him, waiting for him to turn around.

_ Shit. _

“Yeah. The usual,” he agreed, turning slowly, hoping his face was as neutral as possible. “Why do you think something’s wrong?”

Lourdes sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Don’t turn this back on me. Don’t deflect this, Jared, please, you’re better than that.”

Jared wasn’t so sure that was true anymore. He drew his lip into his mouth and exhaled slowly through his nose.

“Jared?”

He looked up. Lourdes was watching him, her face almost unreadable, except for her eyes, which held a spark of fear.

“Please,” she added, her eyebrows drawing together as she studied him. “Whatever it is, it can’t possibly be worse than--”

“Michaela and I slept together,” he interrupted, the words spilling from him fast and almost incoherent, like a child admitting wrongdoing to a parent.

Almost incoherent, but still understandable enough that Lourdes had frozen in place much like he had minutes earlier, her mask of composure slipping as his words registered with her.

“You--what?” She was still staring at him again, but what she felt was clear. The hurt was a neon sign flashing his wrongdoing.

“I--Mick--we--Lourdes, it happened, and it was a mistake--”

“Was it a mistake?” Her sharp tone blindsided him.

“Of course it was a mistake,” Jared said, and he heard the pleading tone in his voice. “I love you, Lourdes, you’re my wife--”

“But you don’t love me the same way you love Mick.”

“I didn’t say that!”

“You don’t have to,” Lourdes whispered, her eyes never leaving Jared’s face.

“Lourdes....”

“Go to work, Jared,” Lourdes said, turning around.

“Lourdes, I--”

“Go to work.” Lourdes brought a trembling hand up to her face. “I won’t be here when you get back.”

Jared stood in the doorway for another minute, watching Lourdes, unable to form a solid thought.

“Go!” Lourdes repeated, her voice high and strained.

Jared flinched at her tone and backpedaled out of the room.

* * *

 

Mick sat at her desk, tracing the steam rising out of her coffee with a finger, eyes lost in the dull blue of her computer screen.

All of this--Jared, the Major, the callings, Zeke, the flight, it was all too much to take in.

Something big was coming, she could feel it, and what she felt wasn’t good at all. Whatever was coming, it was bad.

What she wouldn’t give to be back on that beach in Jamaica, Jared’s ring sitting in her bag, enjoying the feeling of sand between her toes.

Standing on that beach, staring out at the ocean waves and watching the sun on the horizon, she’d felt like she could have lost herself. It had been freeing, that trip, like Mick could lose herself to the water, just another pebble reduced to sand.

Her ruminating was interrupted by a frazzled Jared dropping down in the empty chair next to her.

“We need to talk.”

Mick swiveled in her chair to face Jared, her coffee clutched in her hand like a shield. “Well good morning to you, too.”

“Lourdes knows.”

“Oh.” Mick bit her lip, studying Jared’s face. “How’s she handling it?”

“She’s leaving.”

“Shit, Jared.”

Jared waved Mick’s concern away with a flick of his hand. “This could be good, Mick.”

“I’m sorry?” Mick’s mouth dropped open as she stared at Jared. “How could this be good? Do you not care that Lourdes found out? That she’s hurting?”

“Of course I care. Why wouldn’t I care about that?”

“Because you’re acting like you could give less of a shit, Jared! This was a mistake, okay? You’re married. To Lourdes! That should be your priority, not resurrecting whatever happened between us five years ago!” Mick slammed her coffee down on her desk. The hot liquid that sloshed over the side and puddled on the papers would be a problem for later. 

Jared’s eyes widened as he took in Mick’s expression.

“I made my choice on that plane, you know, I was going to say yes, I was going to call you as soon as we were off of the plane and tell you that I wanted to marry you, that you and my mother were right, that I should try and move on from the past. And then we got back and my mother was dead and you weren’t there and I found out you were married! To Lourdes! My best friend, Jared, she’s my best friend, and we did that to her, and I can’t--I just can’t, okay?”

"Mick--”

“Don’t.” Mick turned back to face her now dark computer screen.

“You were going to say yes?” Jared’s voice soft, shocked, disbelieving.

Mick groaned. “Is that all you got from that?”

“Look, Mick, there has to be a way to--”

“You know what, I just remembered. Ben needs my help figuring something out. I promised I’d meet him. I need to go.” Mick stood abruptly, grabbed her coat, and breezed past Jared, absorbed in texting her brother.

* * *

 

Jared flicked on the light as he walked into his house, the door swinging shut behind him. For a moment, he couldn’t place what felt off about the house. Then he registered the photos that had been taken off the walls, the way the light seemed duller than usual.

Lourdes was gone. He’d really screwed up.

He dropped his briefcase by the door with a sigh and locked the door. He rested his forehead on the cool wood for a moment, trying to regulate his breathing. It wouldn’t do to panic right now.

Jared slowly made his way to the couch, feeling every step like he was walking over a bed of hot coals. Everything was catching up to him, sinking in, and it was more painful than he’d thought it would be.   
  
He sank into the cushions, reaching absentmindedly for the blanket that was always draped across the back of the couch, but his fingers only met with the rough fabric of the couch. The blanket was gone, too.

That was a punch in the gut. Jared’s breathing sped up.

He loved Lourdes. Right? He had to love her, she was his wife, they loved each other.

But having to love Lourdes was the problem. She was his wife. He shouldn’t be feeling like he was required to love her. Jared certainly had loved her, once, when they’d connected and come together when they thought Mick was dead.

No matter how he looked at it, Jared was massively fucked.


End file.
